Don’t let random customers test it and instead use heavily trained, specialized test drivers

At some point you need to test it on a large scale. Cruise was even running small-scale and was shut down in short order.

Require permitting and, e.g., an obstacle course before letting a company’s software be randomly updated and thrown on the road?

We do.

Why is there this constant false dichotomy implying that the only way to test self driving cars is a wild west of no regulation?

There isn’t.

And also who said that self driving cars are safer than humans?

…everyone?

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2023/12/human-drivers-crash-a-lot-more-than-waymos-software-data-shows/

Tesla’s numbers are all statistical lies (in fact Teslas were recently shown to have the most accidents)

[Citation needed]

Cruise just shutdown in SF because they were a liability

This is actually a great example of exactly what I’m talking about: GM will shut down Cruise permanently because they’ve discovered what I just said: society has zero tolerance for literally anyone getting hurt by autonomous vehicles, whereas the tens of thousands of people who are killed on our roads every year by individuals is considered acceptable.